Means for creating air channels in bagged compost material

ABSTRACT

A compost bagging machine is described including a wheeled frame having a tunnel mounted thereon which is adapted to receive the opened mouth of a bag. The inside surface of the tunnel is provided with a plurality of spaced apart flutes which create air channels in the material within the bag. An elongated perforated pipe is also positioned within the material in the bag and the bagging machine moves relative to the bag during the bagging operation. The presence of air in the channels created by the flutes and the air present in the perforated pipe ensures that sufficient air will be present in the mass to achieve complete decomposition of the material.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Agricultural feed bagging machines have been employed for several yearsto pack or bag silage or the like into elongated plastic bags. Two ofthe earliest bagging machines are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,687,061and 4,046,068. More recently, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,337,805 and 4,621,666have issued which disclose modifications of the basic bagging machines.In all of the feed bagging machines of the prior art, the silage ispacked into the bags in an air-tight condition so that properfermentation of the silage material takes place. In the bagging machinesof the prior art, an effort was made to eliminate air within the bags.

Recently, it has been discovered that compost material, or material tobe decomposed or composted, may be composted in large plastic bags. Insuch a procedure, it is necessary that air be present in the material tobe composted so that proper decomposition of the material takes place.It was first thought that a feed bagging machine such as that disclosedin the prior art patents identified hereinabove, could be utilized toplace the material to be composted into the bag. However, the feedbagging machines of the prior art simply are not suitable for use inplacing the material to be composted in a bag since the material in thebag would not have sufficient air therein to enable the material todecompose.

It is therefore a principal object of the invention to provide a methodand means for creating air channels in bagged compost material so thatthe compost material will properly decompose.

A further object of the invention is to provide a compost baggingmachine which creates air channels in the bagged compost material.

A further object of the invention is to provide a compost baggingmachine including means for positioning an elongated perforated pipe inthe compost material.

A further object of the invention is to provide a compost baggingmachine including a means for creating a plurality of spaced apart airchannels in the exterior surface of the bagged material.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a method and means forcreating air channels in bagged compost material which ensures thatsufficient air will be present in the bagged compost material to enablethe material to efficiently decompose.

These and other objects of the present invention will be apparent tothose skilled in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the apparatus of this invention forcreating air channels in bagged compost material;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bagging machine;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view seen on lines 3--3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of the perforated pipe which isplaced in the bagged material; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a bag having the compost materialtherein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A compost bagging machine is described which comprises a wheeled framemeans having rearward and forward ends. A tunnel is provided on thewheeled frame means and has an intake end for receiving the material tobe composted and an output end which is adapted to receive the mouth ofa large plastic bag. A hopper is provided on the wheeled frame means forreceiving the compost material and is adapted to supply the same to arotatable rotor or the like which forces the material into the tunneland into the bag. The interior surface of the tunnel is provided with aplurality of spaced-apart flutes which create grooves or channels in theexterior surface of the material as the material is being placed intothe bag. The bagging machine also includes means for positioning anelongated perforated pipe in the material. The air present in thegrooves in the material and the air present in the perforated pipecauses the material to properly decompose.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The compost bagging machine of this invention is referred to generallyby the reference numeral 10 and is of the type disclosed in myco-pending applications, Ser. Nos. 879,789 filed May 6, 1992 which is acontinuation-in-part application of Ser. No. 815,942 filed Dec. 30,1991, the disclosures of which are relied upon to complete thisdisclosure.

Machine 10 includes a wheeled frame means 12 having a tunnel 14 mountedthereon upon which is normally positioned the open mouth of a bag 16 asillustrated in FIG. 1. For purposes of conciseness, the power means fordriving the various components of the machine have not been disclosedsince the same does not form a part of the invention. The power meanscould be an engine mounted on the machine or a PTO shaft for connectionto a tractor power take off (PTO).

For purposes of description, the bagging machine 10 will be described asincluding a forward end 20 and a rearward end 22. Also for purposes ofdescription, the wheeled frame means 12 of the bagging machine 10 willbe described as including two pairs of front wheels 24 and two pairs ofrear wheels 26 mounted on opposite sides of the machine in conventionalfashion. A conventional braking means is provided and is well known inthe prior art to resist the movement of the bagging machine 10 away fromthe fixed end of the bag 16 as the bag 16 is being filled.

Bagging machine 10 includes a hopper means 28 at the forward end thereofwhich is adapted to receive the material to be composted from a truck,wagon, etc. The design of the hopper means 28 does not form a portion ofthe invention and could be replaced by a conventional feed table.

A means is provided at the forward end of the tunnel 14 for forcing thematerial into the tunnel and into the bag. In the embodiment shown, arotatable rotor 32 of conventional design is illustrated but it shouldbe noted that the same could be replaced by any suitable means whichforces the material to be composted into the bag.

For purposes of description, tunnel 14 will be described as including anouter surface 34 and an inner surface 36. Tunnel 14 also includes a topwall 38, side walls 40 and 42 and bottom wall 44.

A plurality of spaced-apart flutes or channels 46 are secured to theinner surfaces of top wall 38, side walls 40 and 42 and bottom wall 44as seen in the drawings. Preferably, the flutes 46 are elongated andhave a V-shaped cross section. It can also be seen that the flutes 46are tapered so as to have an increasing height or depth from the forwardto rearward ends thereof. The flutes 46 are preferably welded to theinside surfaces of the tunnel 14 in conventional fashion. As thematerial to be composted is forced through the tunnel 14 into the bag16, the flutes or channels 46 create indentations, channels or grooves48 in the exterior surface of the material 47 positioned in the bag 16to ensure that air will be present within the bag to enable the materialto properly decompose.

Means is also provided for positioning an elongated perforated pipe ortube in the approximate center of the mass so that additional air isprovided to the mass to ensure that sufficient air will be present inthe mass to achieve proper decomposition. The perforated pipe couldeither be a single length of pipe 50 wound upon reel 52 or may becomprised of individual sections of pipe. It should be understood thatit is preferred that the pipe 50 be positioned in the center of the massof the material in addition to the channels 48. However, it is believedthat sufficient air will be present to achieve decomposition with eitherthe channels 48 or the perforated pipe 50 although it is preferred thatboth the flutes 46 and the pipe 50 be utilized. It should also be notedthat even though the drawings only illustrate a single pipe beingpositioned in the mass, additional pipes could be positioned therein ifnecessary.

Reel 52 is rotatably mounted on the wheeled frame means above the tunnel14 as seen in the drawings by any conventional fashion. The pipe 50 iscoiled on the reel 52 and is fed therefrom downwardly and rearwardlythrough a pipe guide 54. It is recommended that the cross-section of therearward end of the pipe guide 54 have the triangular cross-section asillustrated in FIG. 2. The distal end 56 of the pipe 50 would beextended outwardly of the distal end or the fixed end of the bag 16 asseen in FIG. 1. As the bagging machine moves relative to the bag 16, thepipe 50 is pulled from the reel 52 and is positioned in the approximatecenter of the mass as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 5.

Although the reel 52 is preferred, it should be noted that individualsections of perforated pipe could be moved downwardly through the pipeguide means 54 as the bagging machine moves relative to the bag 16.

The V-shaped flutes 46 and the perforated pipe 50 ensure that sufficientair will be present in the material to achieve complete decomposition.Thus, it can be seen that the invention accomplishes at least all of itsstated objectives.

I claim:
 1. A compost bagging machine for bagging compost material intoan elongated flexible bag having a fixed end and an open mouth;a wheeledframe means having rearward and forward ends; a tunnel means on saidwheeled frame means and having an intake end for receiving compostmaterial and an output end adapted to receive the mouth of the bag; ahopper means on said wheeled frame means for receiving compost material;means at the intake end of said tunnel means for forcing the compostmaterial into said tunnel means, into said bag, and to move said wheeledframe means away from said fixed end of said bag; means associated withthe bagging machine for creating air channels in the compost material insaid bag to enhance the composting of the compost material; said meansfor creating air channels comprising means for positioning an elongated,perforated pipe means in the compost material; said means forpositioning the elongated pipe means in the compost material includingmeans for positioning the pipe means in a horizontal position, a reelmeans positioned on said wheeled frame means outwardly of said tunnelmeans, said reel means having the elongated pipe means wound thereon,and a guide means extending between said reel means and the interior ofsaid tunnel means for guiding the pipe means from said reel means intothe interior of said tunnel means.